News Brief – July 13, 2010
An Afghan soldier was on the run Tuesday after he killed three British Army Gurkhas in a “suspected premeditated attack”
Although officials claimed it would not damage trust between foreign forces and their Afghan counterparts, Tuesday's attack drew parallels to an earlier one.
Last November an Afghan policeman
shot dead five British soldiers at a checkpoint in southern Helmand province, where the majority of Britain's troops were based.
In the latest incident the rogue Afghan soldier was reported to have used a variety of weapons, including rocket propelled grenades, when he launched his attack inside a military compound.
Britain's Defence Secretary Liam Fox condemned the attack as “despicable and cowardly”.
Nonetheless, he emphasised that “today's events will not undermine the real progress we continue to make.
"British and ISAF forces are working shoulder to shoulder with Afghans and will continue to do so undeterred."
Despite rising casualties Coalition forces are committed to remain in Afghanistan for the immediate future. If only to ensure that the real aim of the invasion – the production and export of narcotics – continues.
Under the former regime the production and export of narcotics was
strictly outlawed. The Taliban’s prohibition was seen as a direct threat to the global drugs trade as Afghanistan produced three-quarters of the world’s heroin and a substantial amount of its opium and this writer considers it the
real reason behind their overthrow.
Since then the production and export of narcotics in Afghanistan has resumed and
reached record levels under ISAF occupation.
Although, of course, no one in the corporate media is saying as much but the British and their allies have a history of fighting wars for drugs that goes back to the
Opium Wars.
While America also has a history of involvement in covert drug operations. The current mission continues where
earlier operations in Soviet occupied Afghanistan, South East Asia and Venezuala left off.
Tuesday’s deaths bring to 356 the number of foreign troops to have died in the Afghan war so far this year. The total for last year was 520.
The United States and NATO have 143,000 troops in Afghanistan fighting a Taliban insurgency, with the number due to rise to 150,000 in coming weeks.
A U.S. intelligence assessment in late 2009 put the Taliban’s strengh at around 25,000.
Last updated 15/07/2010
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